Picture Day (2012)

Waste of time

Please don't spend money on this.

Best movie ever!

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Picture Day is a movie about a late teenager/ young adult who has failed grade twelve and is repeating it again. This movie is about conflict and resolution. In a way it is about an individual who is born without many chances. Her mother does not really seem to know that she exists and she does not have any real friends to support her. She does not have any hobbies to keep her going, nor any commitments. She is floating through life in a kind of a danger zone. Is this part of growing up? Or is it something deeper? Does she have traits of mental illness, or is this all a part of the trials and tribulations of growing up? Without loving parents to question these traits in their daughter - no one is to really know. Towards the end of the movie things kind of do seem to pan out a little bit - but there are clearly personal boundaries that have been crossed. This movie is somewhat like the Canadian movie Exotica by Atom Egoyan. Perhaps this movie, Picture Day is like a typical Canadian movie - whereby the Canadian identity is not rooted in a personal history but rather by external situations in life which seem to form the otherwise formless Canadian identity.

"Picture Day" stars Tatiana Maslany as Claire, a girl who's described as being caught in between adolescence and adulthood. But that's only accurate if adulthood is actually an immature state of being where teenagers are snarky and rude because they think they're cool and smarter than everybody else. She's smack dab in the middle of adolescence no matter how mature she might think she is.During Claire's last year of high school – again, she meets two guys. Jim is legally an adult, thereby making him older and wiser. He also represents the sex, drugs and rock & roll stage of "adulthood". Henry is younger than Claire, but also mature, studious and observant. He's also more sheltered and needs someone to show him the harsh realities of coming of age.The coming of age parallels within in this film are apparent and abundant. Claire's stuck between adolescence and adulthood and is repeating her last year of high school – as if she's unable to know when she needs to grow up. She's also torn between two guys, representing the high school and adult worlds she's torn between. And then within the guys themselves, the older one is more immature and less adapted to the adult-world and has no need for Claire himself. While the younger one can provide Claire with the stability she needs and has the maturity to approach adolescence like an adult. The problem is all those parallels are represented within the premise, once you actually start watching the movie, there's nothing left to discover. "Think these ideas are smart? Good, because that's all we've got."Worse is that the characters themselves don't provide any reasons to keep watching. Claire is rude, insolent and immature, and doesn't deserve our sympathy or even our attention. Jim is a walking, talking stereotype that is even more annoying than that sounds. Henry is a decent character, and since that should solve her boy-related dilemma, the only dilemma that's left is why we're still watching.

Tatiana Maslany of 'Orphan Black' stars as Claire Paxton, a rebellious teen forced to repeat her senior year of high school. She is look down upon as a school outsider with a questionable reputation. She becomes a friend, mentor, and an object of desire to Henry who is also a quiet outsider she used to babysit as a child. On the other hand, she is sexually involved with Jim, the 30-something front man for the funk band, the ElastoCitizens.This is a coming of age story not just for Henry but also for Claire. They're both amazing in this great little indie movie, but Tatiana is the one that breaks out as a true movie star. She is both magnetic and vulnerable in this role.

This movie's great. The ending is a little abrupt, but there are so many good moments which are reminiscent of Freaks & Geeks, even better if only in the ability to capture teenage life/adolescence in all its awkwardness, relationship dynamics, etc. especially for those of us who didn't really "belong" or fit in re high school life. It's not something you often find in films these days. It's funny, touching even; there are some great moments in this. Music fits in perfectly with some scenes. The actress, Tatiana Maslany is incredible in this and really does make the movie. Truly a freaking impressive performance.